CHED taps 17 more schools as COVID-19 vaccination sites

MANILA, Philippines — Some 17 more colleges and universities have been tapped as COVID-19 vaccination sites to bring the total to 34, more than two months into the country's inoculation efforts.

The schools join an initial 17 institutions last month that offered their facilities for vaccinations.

These higher educational institutions include the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna, University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

"With this initiative from our HEIs, the country will be assured that when A4 and B1 (vaccination priority lists) come in and the bulk of the vaccines arrive, we would have expanded the vaccination centers," said CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera III.

Among the campuses in Metro Manila that will be used as vaccination sites are the University of Santo Tomas, Manila Central University, Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela and Quezon City, as well as University of Perpetual Help System Dalta in Las Piñas.

CHED's move is done under an agreement with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines. This aims to foster cooperation between HEIs and their local governments in helping the country's pandemic response. 

De Vera added that more institutions have said that they are willing to become additional vaccination sites. 

Government figures showed that the Philippines has administered 3.3 million doses of COVID-19 jabs as of May 18. 

This translates to 786,528 fully vaccinated individuals, while 2.5 million with their first dose. The country has had a seven-day average of 108,540 vaccinations, in some 3,850 inoculation sites.